Display posts from previous

Sort by

yesterday evening and this morning I took 2 important exams that concluded a Training Course begun on December 5th, 2017.
Finally I can call myself an EMT -- and I am proud of it.
Months of lessons, months of study, months of efforts on simulations, months of ambulance, months of dinners interrupted, nights half-slept, hours spent in unpleasant climatic conditions, lots of suffering persons seen, some of which so young and so beyond rescue.

It has been a hard exam. No sooner than the last month they decided to change rules and attitude and become far more selective than they have been for the last 20 years(!), thus causing the unexpected rejection of over 50% of the examinees on average, even for the high and mighty Red Cross. Truly an hecatomb of candidates across the board... I have seen valid and motivated persons being rejected over the smallest things, as if the untold imperative from above was "send them home on any excuse".
And yet I was promoted the Certification is mine !!!
No words can express how I felt when I finally signed the exam's verbal. On my way out of the room I must have floated, because I do not recall myself walking

It makes me happy today knowing that your community will be in good hands -- sometimes literally. Thank you for your service.

Side note: I'm fairly good at writing. But words fail me when I try to express the respect I have for those who train hard to help their fellow human beings during some of the worst possible moments of their lives. Some 30 years ago I helped my mother with her nursing exams, and it wasn't long before she willingly accepted one of the most emotionally difficult jobs possible: pediatric oncology. I can't imagine doing that... but I can, at the absolute least, appreciate all of you who see the human form in its most broken forms and do everything in your power to preserve it. Thank you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I still have to fully realize what just happened This morning I woke up half-worried that I was late. Had to double-check the calendar to make sure.

The exam came late, though.
The turns for August are set and I will have to wait for September before entering in full service. You see, on the ambulance we work in teams of 3. As a trainee I could only be the 4th team member, and only if all other mandatory roles for that day were covered already (usually not a problem).

However, August is different. It is a period of vacation in my country. Right now we lack the manpower to put 4 persons on the ambulance at all times and, since the other roles need to be covered as well, I will be called to do other things for a little while.

By September I should receive my Certificate and, with it, the authorization to act as 3rd team member.
I will also receive the new uniform AND a new strip for my jacket, which will identify me as EMT -- minus the word TRAINEE on it ( ). All the recruits will bow down to the almighty strip!! ( mwahaha).

@ Flatfingers:
Pediatric oncology is for a select few individuals. One needs courage and a strong heart to look into those innocent eyes knowing that those kids may not grow into adults and discover life.
I have met a few of them earlier this year, on February 6th (Epiphany). We brought them gifts, sweets and clowns to make them smile.
They do not know fear. They have no concept of death. But they do know suffering. And they know that they want to be out of there, but can not do it, and keep asking to their parents. And when you look into their parents' eyes you do not know anymore what to think. You become empty and start wondering about God, Mother Nature, or what-else-you-call-it, and ask Why this cruelty? How can it be so unjust?

Those kids left a scar in me. It is much easier to go away, looking elsewhere and pretending that they do not exist, rather than nursing & living your life next to them.
Your mom has my utmost respect for what she does.

This post definitely belongs in the topic "Things That Made You Happy Today" because none of the things listed above have happened lately....

That's a neat list. Most of these are highly unlikely, and those that are probable or guaranteed aren't showstoppers. Magnetic pole reversal, for instance, has happened a number of times. Only real difference is we didn't have electronics back then, and as I understand it, the reversal would probably wreak some havoc there. As to the rogue black hole, if something gets close enough to emit harmful radiation, we have bigger problems... such as Neptune leaving orbit for an intimate visit with us.

Hadn't heard of megatsunamis before. That's pretty cool. Going to be doing some research into that. These things fascinate me.